58 Comments
User's avatar
Larissa Herc's avatar

people on the internet tend to be self righteous and quick to judge. it's much more refreshing to see someone being honest and authentic to what it is being a human. we're all a little bit mean, weird, and not always "good". that's the fun of it, i guess - having something to learn, space to evolve, and enjoying the journey instead of just judging every step of the way. loved this piece, Valerie!

Valerie's avatar

thank you Larissa! love your balanced outlook šŸ™‚ā€ā†•ļø i’m gonna need to remind myself of this more often <3

Carly Jacobs's avatar

love this. love it. And related. The good news though is that we're not delusional. We're not running around calling ourselves empaths while being (sometimes) genuinely terrible people.

Valerie's avatar

thank you Carly ā¤ļø i too find solace in self-awareness - even if it's for nothing, i'd rather this than pretend to be a saint

n!!'s avatar

This hit home . Weirdly finding solace in this, I suppose it’s comforting that my actions aren’t that of some disgusting monster, just human at the end of the day :’’’/ ughhh life - like u said, conflict is terrifying and it’s all j a heavy burden to reason with . Thank u for good girl bad girl, this was a v fitting read for almost 4am

Valerie's avatar

ahh! i'm so glad i could accompany your late night <3 thank you for your comment, means a lot to me

B1iS8Yr's avatar

At least you own up to your flaws. Others are magnificently ignorant to theirs. Life is bliss for them, no matter what their actions have caused. Also, if you don’t mind me asking, how old are you? Reason I ask is cause you’re an excellent writer with a lot of wisdom. So am curious. Thanks.

Valerie's avatar

Thank you so much! That's a great perspective. You know, small steps and what not 😁 I've just turned 26 a couple months back.

B1iS8Yr's avatar

Oh that’s so young. You’re very wise for such a young girl. Good good.

Susan Coyne's avatar

*young woman! Not girl.

emma roney's avatar

this is so beautiful! also we give sooo much grace to others for being kinda bad, kinda good, spinning around on our moral compasses, why can't we do the same sometimes? it's truthful!

Valerie's avatar

emma!! you’re so right. thank you šŸ¤

Kaothar Kadir's avatar

This is incredible.

Valerie's avatar

thank you so much! 🩷

Samantha Lazo's avatar

Wow, what a read. "Goodness can very much be an August heatwave – you crave it in the middle of January when it’s dark and cold, but once you’re living in it, you’re just waiting for the whole thing to be over." This line is such poetry that it hit me straight in the gut. Thank you for finding words for a sticky feeling many of us have had for years.

Valerie's avatar

Samantha ā¤ļø this means the world to me, thank you

SOFIE JEANNE's avatar

I loved reading this piece so much! It touches on topics that we often hide from ourselves and others. Growing up is a blessing but in growing up I often find myself reflecting on the past, on things that I regret doing and saying. I wish there was a magic handbook that could teach us how to properly go about and live life, how to cultivate and preserve healthy relationships, how to build success, and how to be blissfully happy- but alas there is none. We can just learn day by day and try our very best to do better. Thank you for sharing such personal thoughts.

Valerie's avatar

totally agree Sofie ā¤ļø thank you for reading!!

Kristy's avatar

I definitely resonated with this one!

brianna's avatar

i love this and resonate with it so much. you took all my jumbled thoughts and feelings i couldn’t make sense of myself and put them into words in such a beautiful way

Valerie's avatar

brianna that’s so lovely to hear šŸ¤ thank you

AngĆØle's avatar

Thank you for your honesty Valerie. It's very refreshing and needed. Too much of 'how to spot a narcissist' and not enough of 'how not to be one'.

That's how we grow šŸ–¤

Valerie's avatar

AngĆØle ā¤ļøā¤ļø thank you so much

Mari's avatar

A quarter of the way through I was absolutely already thinking of the Jemima Kirke quote. Beautiful read <3

Valerie's avatar

great minds, great minds 😌

Ciara's avatar

This was SO real. And so exactly what I needed to hear when I’m fighting with my best friend and myself. A reminder to try to be a better person every day(no matter the reason) but also we must forgive ourselves for just being human.

Valerie's avatar

Ciara <3 i hope everything resolves between you two. i appreciate you!

Magdalena's avatar

I relate with this to my most profound core.

Valerie's avatar

thank you magdalena šŸ¤ delighted it resonated with you

Liliane Pang's avatar

"Is it all just a big sad attempt to like myself a little more?ā€ Ouf! Too real (but oh so well written).

Valerie's avatar

🄲 honestly a revelation. thank you Lili!

Sandhya Christine's avatar

This is so awfully relatable. Everything down to the old bedroom bit

Valerie's avatar

šŸ¤šŸ¤